


Road To The Arcana

by Squidubus



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Road to El Dorado Fusion, F/M, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23496634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squidubus/pseuds/Squidubus
Summary: When Julian asked Tanitha whether she was ready for an adventure, he was happy to receive a positive answer. Good thing too, because soon the magician and the plague doctor will stumble upon a tribe with no knowledge of magic, and quickly get assigned the role of local gods. What kind of wacky adventures can these two get up to in such situation?Join in on the adventures of Julian and Tanitha, post-Upright Ending on a "The Road To El Dorado" inspired tale. (More like blatant rip-off but I'll deviate from the movie plenty)(Tanitha Laieling is my fan apprentice for the game, She/Her)
Relationships: Apprentice/Julian Devorak
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Safe from Greed, Anger and Boredom

**I.**

**Safe From Greed, Anger and Boredom**

As soon as Venterre’s faded-gold beach and shining lighthouse appeared on the horizon, relieved cheers and laughter erupted from The Realm Sailor’s deck. With the sails all adjusted to the wind’s direction, a pair of twin pirates abandoned their positions, bolted to the forecastle deck and leaned over the railing, eyes wide in awe at the sight of land. They giggled, already planning the mischief they could get up to in the city, right up until a thrown wooden spoon found one of them on the head, then bouncing off to hit the other as well.

“Cita! Elka! Getcher asses back to the hull, before I drag you down there myself! Who’s gonna keep the gunpowder dry, my great aunt?!” Captain Mazelinka yelled at them from the main deck, arms still outstretched from throwing the spoon.

With a yelp, the twins turned to retrieve their buckets and rags they had abandoned earlier, and focused on plugging up the holes on the ship’s bottom. “Why does Julian get to skip duties but not us?!” Elka asked indignantly right as they disappeared under the deck’s door.

At that, Mazelinka raised an eyebrow and glanced around the ship. Just as she was about to go look in the hold, she heard a chortle above her, then the sound of a hand being clasped on a mouth. And there Julian sat, slightly sheepish, curled up on the yardarm as though that made his gangly figure small enough not to notice. When he realized he was caught, he spluttered a little.

“Oh, NOW what happened to ‘Honor Among Thieves’ ?!” He shouted loud enough for the twins to hear. Then he looked back at Mazelinka and gave the most charming smile he could muster. “That was an amazing throw there! Hitting two birds with one stone, or spoon rather, huh?”

“I’ll make it three if you don’t go down to help the twins, boy!”

“But Pasha and Tanitha are covering for me! And the barrelman asked me to switch places so he could nap.”

Mazelinka tsked. “You’re one to talk about honor among thieves, selling out Binno like that.”

Julian grinned. “Is it really selling out when you already knew he does that every day?” He then switched to a softer, almost begging look. “Can I stay up here, just until we anchor? Please? The view is magnificent from here, I’d like to watch the sunset while we are still at sea.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Mazelinka sighed, shook her head and went to collect her spoon. “Alright, I’ll allow it, but if someone calls for you to help out, you jump without a question, understood?”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” He gave a big salute, swinging his legs as he stood up and climbed the mast to a better, even higher spot. “Careful there, the crew might think you have a soft spot for me!”

“Puh, say another word and the spot will harden right back.” The captain warned with a hint of fondness in her voice, following the twins’ route and disappearing beneath the hold’s hatch.

In Julian’s defence, the sunset was as unimaginably breath-taking as he thought it would be. The crystal clear sky showed off its muddy, dark blue color on the right, contrasting a twinkling azure sea, then mixing into a gorgeous gradient of purple and pink as man’s gaze wandered to the left, finished by a bright and warm orange beyond shadowed mountains. A few stars were bright enough to show up on the darker side, dotting the sky like sprinkled sugar on a cake. Taking in the swirl of colors, Julian inhaled deeply and sighed, satisfied.

He recalled times unhappier than the moment he was in, times when he was much too troubled to appreciate nature’s beauty around him. Times when he had to travel in horrible weather and pitch black nights without a say in the matter. Times when he wouldn’t have believed he could live a life of piracy without being a wanted man.

He shooed the unhappy memories away and relished the salty air surrounding him. It was a blessed quiet despite the damage done to the ship’s body, courtesy of the crew’s hard work to keep the holes plugged until they were in water shallow enough to begin properly fixing them. With no other sound around him, aside from the sea splashing and the sails’ fabric creaking with the wind, Julian hummed an old song to himself. He only vaguely remembered the lyrics of the song, but he knew it was about a villager leaving his old life behind to look for a new home. A new home where he could cheer, feast, run and dance for miles on end without ever leaving it.

What a magical place that might be, he wondered. A place where you could walk the longest distance known to man, and yet not had taken a single step in any direction. Put like that, it sounded maddening, like a trap of some kind. Could there be such a thing, where comfort and happiness was so rampant that it wouldn’t drive a man mad to stay permanently in one spot? He could imagine one of the Arcana realms being like that. He would have to ask Tanitha about it later.

The Realm Sailor steadily drew closer to the dock, but Julian couldn’t quite tell which city it was. He could see the Malvent Strait if he strained his neck a little, which meant they didn’t sail into the gulf. He could also see a sign with letters atop the lighthouse, likely the city’s name for those who lost their sense of direction, but couldn’t discern what was written on it. He could just check the map on Mazelinka’s desk, but that would require him to climb down and he was not ready to do that just yet. He would wait until the sun was fully down.

Julian flipped his eyepatch upward and rubbed his plagued eye. He will never understand how dirt manages to get into an eye that is always covered up, but as he flipped it down, he noticed something stuck to the inside of the patch. A tiny piece of paper-like fabric, with tiny handwriting on it.

_Look up more often._

His eyebrows knit in confusion, and as if guided by instinct, he looked up. A smug, smiling face curtained by smoky purple hair looked down on him from the crow’s nest, clearly having waited a while to be noticed.

“Boo.”

Julian’s eyes went wide with surprise. “What the...?! How- when did you get up there? And how did you do this?” He pointed at the eyepatch, which he now removed completely to look at Tanitha clearly.

“About half an hour ago, and with magic.” The magician wiggled her fingers. She swiftly swung her legs over the nest’s rails and climbed down on the ratlines to be on Julian’s level. Then, clinging to the ropes still, she leaned forward and gave him a kiss as a greeting. “You’ve been up here for a while. Something on your mind?”

Julian smiled at his beloved. “Nothing at all, just enjoying the view. Forgot there was a much better view I could be looking at.” He grinned cheekily.

Tanitha’s cheeks flushed as she rolled her eyes, but she was grinning too. “Spent your time thinking up compliments like that, huh?”

“Nope, it’s all natural talent.” He then turned away to let himself fall a short distance to get back on the yardarm, and sat down cross legged. He tilted his head to the space next to him, “Come here.” And stretched out a hand for Tanitha to take.

Ever so gracefully, Tanitha got off the ratlines and took Julian’s hand. It helped her stay balanced until she was close enough to sit down right next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and letting her legs hang off. She felt a gloved arm wrap around her waist for closeness and safety, and she relaxed.

“I thought you were still fixing leaks with Pasha.” Julian looked at her from the corner of his eye.

“We finished those a while ago. I kept the water out with barriers while they boarded up the holes with whatever they could find. It should hold until we reach the city.” She explained casually.

“Oh, wonderful. And which city are we headed for again...?”

With a dramatic wave of her hands, Tanitha mimicked a cheesy city guide. “St. Karliene, the, ahem, home of chroniclers and liars! According to Ketos, anyway.”

He raised an amused eyebrow at the description. “Huh. I wonder what kind of people live there for the city to gain such a reputation. I might end up feeling right at home!”

She snickered. “Not if the chroniclers are also liars. What will you do if they outshine those tall tales you love to tell, dear?”

Julian gasped in faked shock. “I teach you everything I know about theatrics, and still you DOUBT my storytelling abilities? How many times must I prove myself to you?” He grasped the mast as though he was struggling with physical pain. “You cruel, cruel countess of deception!”

Tanitha was born ready for this bullshit. “You simple fool, how could you ever call yourself a storyteller, if you had not yet bested the biggest liar and best chronicler in the city of tale tellers?! You must face the ultimate trial before you can claim that title,” She paused, dramatic menace deepening her voice, “St. Karliene.”

The pair of them sat in intense silence for a few seconds, eyes shining in the paling orange light. A moment later their composure broke down and they snorted with giggles.

In between two laughs, Julian tutted. “Ah, no, I think we overdid it a little. It wasn’t quite right.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his auburn curls to fix them back up.

“We underdid it, if you ask me. We didn’t go grand enough with the wording.” There was a stray ribbon of hair tickling Tanitha’s nose, so she busied her hands with pulling it back up into its place. But in the end, she had to undo the bun and redo her half-up style entirely to get it right.

Julian waited for her to finish messing around with her hair before hugging her close and planting a kiss on her temple. She was the only thing he was missing to make the evening the best it could be, and now that he had her in his arms, he felt his soul relax completely. Tanitha’s gaze wandered the same direction Julian’s had earlier as she awed at the array of colors in the sky. Her eyes fixated on the sun, its top just barely above the mountains’ peaks now.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Not even the clearest Galbradine nights can compete with this sight.”

She hummed, eyeing the flickering lighthouse on the mainland. “What’s Galbrada like?”

Julian scratched his head. “Well, it doesn’t really stand out from other cities. It’s actually a pair of islands, a small and an even smaller one. Think of it like... Maybe a more advanced Nopal, with a specialty in stained glass. And with more nearby water and mountains. And, uh, less desert.”

“So it’s a republic built like a village?”

“Oh no, not at all, Galbrada definitely _feels_ like a city-state, you know the feeling. It just doesn’t really look like one. The buildings are just so simply built, like stone cubes! And there’s less color. I guess people love the serious, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere they got going there.”

“Well, to each their own.”

Julian smiled a little. “So, which city we visited was your favorite?”

Tanitha brightened up at the question. “Hjalle, hands down. The weather, the wide streets, that stained glass dome, all those people... It was all so vibrant! I mean, Vesuvia is vibrant too, but it’s was so... different. I don’t even know how to put it in words.” Her legs rocked back and forth, and hands waved around rapidly as she talked, looking for the right words for emphasis.

Julian couldn’t help but laugh. He held her a little tighter to prevent her from falling due to all the movement, but he himself needed support as he was slipping. Tanitha had him covered though, clinging to his shirt and keeping him upright. “Wait, careful-“

“No, you watch yourself, hey-“

The pair looked ridiculous, rocking back and forth on the wooden rod, giggling like little children. They eventually steadied themselves and calmed down, but not without the occasional jab on each other’s side to try and throw off their balance as a joke.

“Jules no, we’re gonna fall!”

“That would be your fault, darling.”

“Stop it!”

“You stop it!”

“No, y-“ She cut off with a startled scream.

One of the jabs on her belly was strong enough to tilt Tanitha over upside down, fall off and promptly get her limbs tangled up in the ratline. In a panic, Julian tried to reach for her, but ended up falling from the yardarm himself, and got mixed up in a jumble of ropes and a smaller, unused sail.

They took a while to register the situation they were in. A rather long while. Tanitha had trouble telling which way was up, and that’s a question that can get rather philosophical even when the thinker isn’t hovering upside down, 20 feet off the nearest flat surface. She looked around in great confusion and saw Julian also hanging out.

“Which one of us is upside down?”

“You, Tanitha.”

“Excellent, thank you.”

“No trouble at all.”

Harmonious quiet followed.

.

.

.

“...Should we call Portia?”

“...No, I can’t humiliate myself for the fourth time today in front of her. She’s been bullying me since noon.”

Tanitha barked with laughter. “What the hell do you mean, fourth time? What have you been doing today?”

Julian started counting on his fingers. “Fell out of bed in the morning, which you also saw, banged my head on the hatch, and later Locke chewed up Elka’s belt, which I got blamed for... I don’t know how.” He, too, was impressed by how much misfortune he had been attracting that day.

Tanitha looked a little sheepish, even with her head reddening from the blood rushing there. “Sorry about the thing with Locke.”

“Not your fault, love.”

“...Dear, just call your sister. Mazelinka will whoop our asses if she finds us like this when it’s time to anchor, and I’m sorry but my head is starting to hurt.”

“I gotcha covered, dummies!” Cut Portia’s voice through the air just as Julian opened his mouth to protest.

He groaned. “So much for my pride...”

The girl’s history of climbing ivy covered walls shined through in how quickly she scaled the mast and got up to inspect her brother and honorary sister-in-law (honorary status in effect until Julian stops being a chicken, which is a day yet to come).

The older Devorak glared at the younger one upon seeing her smug smirk. “Not a word, Pasha.”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to, dear brother of mine. I could never make fun of you for something you can’t help. Like being spectacularly dumb.” She made her way towards Tanitha and helped her arms out of their sticky position.

“Very kind of you.” Added Julian, voice oozing with salt.

“I know! You can thank me with some ale once we dock, sound fair?” Portia chirped. “Tanitha, hold on to something if you don’t want to fall! I’m gonna get your feet now.”

Not a second after Portia said that, the magician suddenly felt her lower body flip and drop from the ratline’s grasp. She could just barely grab onto another rope to avoid falling to her death, but thankfully she got to process that information upright, and safe from dropping. “Thanks a bunch...!”

Julian was less lucky with his escape, Portia had get his boot clasps unstuck from the sail’s fabric, and messing with those clasps resulted in Julian losing the boot from his leg.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“You’re completely wrapped up in all that fabric, what do you want me to do? How did you even manage this, Ilya...” She shook her head disapprovingly.

Tanitha steadily descended from where she had been hanging and found herself immensely grateful for having solid flooring beneath her feet. She looked up at the squabbling siblings, estimated the height they were at, and an idea formed in her mind.

She cupped her hands around her mouth to be heard. “Portia! Let him fall, I can catch him like this!”

One pair of eyes twinkled with mischief while the other went wide with panic.

“Perfect! Off you go, Ilya.” Portia gave Julian a solid yank, sending him falling.

“ _EXCUSE ME-_ “

Calling on her magic, Tanitha focused her aura into a semi solid cloud in the shape of a huge hand, which slowed down and softened Julian’s fall long enough for her to walk under him and catch him in her open arms, bridal style. The slow pace in which his weight was deposited on to her helped keep the man steady in her arms without buckling, and gave her the appearance of a much stronger woman than she really was.

Upon understanding the position he was in, Julian flustered a bit. He then noticed Tanitha smirking.

“Guess it’s your turn to be _my_ damsel in distress.”

And now he was beet red.

“Erhm, yes, you can uh, put me down now, though. Thank you vay- very much.”

She set him down on the ground gingerly, and just for good measure, fixed up his unbuttoned shirt and messed up collar as well. Portia soon landed next to them with a soft thump, like her cat usually does, and bowed deeply.

“Another outstanding performance by the crowd’s favorite, Portia Devorak! Please, don’t hold the applause.”

Tanitha indulged her bestie and cheered, making up for the lack of an audience all by herself. Meanwhile, Julian buried his face in his palm and turned away from the two of them, feigning ignorance. The girls were not having it though and immediately cornered him from two sides.

“Aw, c’mon Ilyushka, you haven’t even thanked me for saving you yet!”

“Something the matter, Prince Charming?”

The doctor shook his head and turned his back once again. “Nope, I’m not talking to either of you. You’re both out for my blood!”

“So you’re back to mistaking us for leeches now?”

“EVERYONE! GET READY TO DROP THE ANCHOR!”

Mazelinka’s timing saved Julian from another half an hour of humiliation, which he had to remind himself to thank her for later.

With the night’s darkness finally setting in, it was quite difficult to see clearly among the dark shapes of boats and other ships, so Mazelinka seized control over the helm personally, and began carefully steering towards one of the empty docks. While the lighthouse was useful, it was Tanitha’s flame of light planted on the bowsprit that truly helped avoid hitting smaller things beyond the captain’s line of sight. A few passer-by on the beach paused to watch the skilfully handled vessel glide through the shallow water, marvelling at the intricate carvings on the side of it. Some children pointed excitedly at the opalescent light on the ship’s front, while others were more impressed by the colorful, carefully stitched sails.

“Lower the topsails!” The order was barked, and swiftly followed.

In a matter of minutes, The Realm Sailor was in prime position to lower the anchor into the water, and finally rest a little after what had been an eventful and dangerous week. Being surrounded by navy blue darkness and coated in the yellowish light of streetlamps and torches, Julian felt it in his bones- nightlife was about to begin, and he was itching to take part in it. When they reached the pier, he hauled himself over the railing with some lines and moored the vessel with a few bowline knots. As a finishing touch, the anchor was thrown into the water, now securing the ship for good.

Porta whistled. “Catch!” She passed a rolled up rope bridge to her brother, one end tied to the entry point of the vessel to create an exit for the crew.

Music and drunk shouting could be heard from nearby taverns, and the thought of mingling with locals that no one in the crew had experience with before excited them to no end. They were getting antsy, wanting nothing more than Mazelinka’s permission to disappear into the night. Tanitha wasn’t immune either. After a few more minutes of fumbling, She put out her light source and jogged to retrieve her bag from her quarters.

Her familiar, the antagonistic jackrabbit named Locke, perked up when he saw his hyped up master. “ _Adventure?”_

“Hopefully. Now hop in!” She kept her bag’s mouth open for the rabbit to jump in and settle comfortably. The bag’s only other contents were a book, a handkerchief, her own tarot deck and a pouch of coins, which Locke used to cushion himself with. Long ears sticking out of the bag, Locke was ready to go, and so was Tanitha once she grabbed her travelling cape.

Julian waited for his partner patiently by the bridge, fixing his eyepatch on his face and ruffling his curls into their usual style. She arrived not long after, bringing him his signature coat and cape.

“Ah, thank you darling, you didn’t have to.” He thanked her with a peck on her cheek and swung the coat on his shoulders.

“It’s a chilly night, not the best time to walk around with just a shirt that you refuse to button up.”

“You had a different opinion yesterday night.” He claimed, face looking innocent, but thoughts not so much.

Tanitha felt her entire face burn as she remembered what he was referring to. “You of all people don’t get to use things I’ve said against me!” She looked away indignantly.

“Don’t I now?” He leaned closer to her face with a shit-eating grin.

“No, and get out of my face with that grin!”

“Never.” He made a point by smooching Tanitha’s forehead and resting his hand on her waist. “This is for earlier.”

“I’ve done nothing to deserve it.” She replied, but her chortle gave away how she really felt.

Looking around, Julian saw the pirate crew scatter in different directions, only Mazelinka and Ladon staying behind by the pier to negotiate extra parking time with who appeared to be a fuming fisherman, most likely the owner of the anchor point. With the damage the ship had suffered from the cannon fight, it was safe to assume they wouldn’t set sail again until next week, which gave them more than enough time to stir trouble.

“Let’s get Pasha and set off on a little tour, shall we?”

It took them no time to find Portia, as her furious voice echoed between the buildings like a malicious spirit. By the sound of it, she was going off on an exotic animal trader for the conditions he was keeping his beasts in, and the constructive criticism was not being handled well.

Tanitha blinked. “...I think she found her calling already.”

A chair flew through a window on the other end of the street. Julian’s eyes twinkled.

“And I think we are about to find ours, too. Shall we get rowdy, milady?” He stuck out his arm to her, an invitation to link it with her own.

She smiled with a similar twinkle in her brown eyes. “Rowdy we shall get, milord.”


	2. Jinxed, Juked and Jarred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinxed the dice, Juked the enraged mob who chased them, and probably Jarred Mazelinka and Portia with their penchant for trouble. The shenanigans begin.

**II.**

**Jinxed, Juked and Jarred**

Under normal conditions, if you wanted to find a party in a big city, all you’d have to do is follow the music, cheers, sloshing sounds and bright lights through the streets towards it. ‘Normal’ however, is deeply subjective, as evidenced by the citizen’s nonchalance at furniture flying out from what’s supposed to be a governmental building. And so, with a correction to their walking direction, Julian and Tanitha began exploring the torch- and moonlit streets of St. Karliene.

St. Karliene, for the lack of a better word, was a patchwork city. Cobblestone, dirt and granite roads bled into each other almost at random between misshapen squares, narrow corners and spacious streets. Some buildings demanded utmost respect for their architects with their towering size and sharp edges, others looked like recycled castle walls, still others ranged anywhere between humble wooden huts to extravagantly carved marble towers. The city had the atmosphere of a mismatched thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle, which was further strengthened by the array of people living there.

Citizens and foreigners had no discernible differences in the eyes of the average outsider. Seeing a monk share a morning coffee with a bounty hunter, pastry chef and a guard was not at all uncanny. Neither was the people’s tendency to mismatch the colors of their attire, like it was a competition to see who stands out the least on the street. Glancing around themselves on the wide but very busy city square, Julian felt uncomfortably out of place with his sleek, dichromatic outfit. Even Tanitha, with her golden-burgundy-magenta skirt, red stockings, faded blue shirt and hazel travelling cape, topped with smoky purple hair, failed to pass as a citizen. She held onto Julian’s arm a little tighter as they walked along, although losing him in that crowd was hardly a concern.

“I’ll never wrap my around the fact that the chair flew out of from a council meeting and not a tavern. No one would believe it wasn’t a bar with all that noise.”

“I know right? The Rowdy Raven could pass as a library compared to this so called Town Hall.” Julian threw his free hand up. “This place is giving me a headache, it’s like everything that is good and normal just got inverted in a big inside joke! I don’t enjoy being the fool here.”

“I do.”

Julian glanced at Tanitha in confusion, who elbowed him in the side as she struggled no to laugh.

“What.”

“The Fool. Y’know.” She gestured vaguely at herself.

Julian was a smart man, but that moment was certainly not proof of that. He took another minute before he caught on.

“. . . OH-“ He facepalmed with a wheeze of laughter. “Damn it. Pun not intended, I swear.”

“Took your time!”

“Yeah but can you blame me? It was a horrible pun.”

“Oh you take that back right now, I’m hilarious!”

Julian pretended to muse on that statement, like he was thinking how to counter it in the most polite manner possible. He held a hand under his chin, deep in contemplation. “Hmm...”

Tanitha gasped in mock offense, a hand flying to her chest.

Their attention was suddenly captured by the sound of bells jingling in a narrowing street, a little farther to their right. Stalls lined both sides of the alleyway, which was clouded by the mixing smoke of tobacco and incense. From a brief glance alone, it was not clear what kind of market they were looking at. They could see foodstuffs, trinkets, potion ingredients, animals, tools, a little bit of everything, just like the city around it. With the hazy air and dusty, granite pavement, it reminded them of the Red Market, the only fault being that town guards strolled around inside without any vigilance, like they were there for groceries.

Tanitha felt her partner’s grip tighten in anticipation around her hand. They shared a look, Julian looking mad with childish excitement.

“Darling-“

“I know.”

He was bouncing in one place. “Tanitha-“

“Just lead the way already!”

Julian beamed and needing no more encouragement, he unlinked his arm and grabbed Tanitha by her hand, bursting into sprint towards the market. The coin purse on his hip felt all too heavy at the sight of rare, expensive wares in a peculiar city.

They slowed down as they entered the impossibly long line of stalls, which appeared to branch into other streets, nooks and crannies in that specific corner of the city. From where they stood, they could not see the end of it at all. The thick clouds of dust, smoke and vapor surrounding them both in air and on ground seemed to change colors with each step forward, simulating a magical parade of dirt and mystery. Interestingly, all of it stemmed from a single stall right in the center of the market, pouring out from glass cups and metal boxes. To no one’s surprise, the stall attendant was sound asleep in his chair, mouth hanging open and drool streaming down on his long, braided beard.

“He looks dead.”

“The dead don’t look that gross... Usually.” Julian felt the need to add that.

Hand in hand, the couple carried on in an amble to get a good look at everything the market had laid out around them. A dopey man with only two fingers on each hand sold soap and fragrances. In the stall right next to him, polished statues and hand-carved wooden bowls were on sale, attended by a woman so tall, she rivalled Julian’s height even while seated. Not quite directly across them in a wobbly corner, a deaf toymaker was laying out dolls and simple-shaped trinkets on chains and strings. There was clearly no plan or system put in place concerning the sellers’ placement for easy navigation, forcing the shoppers to be highly aware of all the stalls they walked past, lest they lose their way and never find a way out of the market.

“I bet half of these vendors are only here because they got lost, and then took up a job here after giving up hope of finding a way out.” Tanitha commented, browsing a stall of dried fruit.

Julian snickered. “That reminds of something I’ve been meaning to ask. Are there any realms where space moves, but the visitors don’t?”

Tanitha turned to look at him, perplexed. “As in, Arcana realms? What do you mean exactly?”

“I mean, is there a realm where you can walk freely, you can even feel yourself move and fatigue and everything, and yet you don’t _move_ forward an inch?” They paused to wonder at some fine cutlery laid out on a table sprinkled with different shades of sand.

After getting the attendant’s permission, Tanitha took a jeweled spoon in her hand and examined it closely, pondering her answer.

“I’m not sure. It’s hard to say without seeing every realm for ourselves, and even then, it’s only a matter of perspective, really. Maybe the realm itself thinks it’s standing still and you’re the one moving, you just don’t see it.” She turned the spoon over, noticing some rust on it’s handle. “But rule of thumb is that if you feel like you’re walking without moving forward, then it’s your own mind making you feel stuck, and the realm is simply responding to your mental state.”

“Yeah, but is there a realm that’s like that, but... by default? With no connection to the mind or anything?”

“I have no idea, to be honest. If there is, we’d have no way to tell.” She put the spoon back into its place and nodded as a goodbye to the vendor. “Where did this question come from, anyway?”

Mildly disappointed, Julian shrugged. “It’s been on my mind for a while. There’s this old song I heard ages ago, in a small trading town I had travelled to with my parents when I was little.” He chuckled a little. “Pasha wasn’t even born yet... The local children used to sing it when they were exploring the forest at night, to keep track of each other and not get lost. It had some theme about time and space stopping while everyone danced and dined, and you couldn’t leave it no matter how long you walked.”

“That sounds a eerie. Do you remember the lyrics at all?”

“Only some fragments from the pre-chorus. I know the melody, though.” He noticed Tanitha looking at him with an expectant smile. He broke into a grin. “What is it? You want to hear my beautiful voice sing it for you?”

“Oh, I hoped. But alas, my siren will not call for me, if he cannot recall the words to go with the music.” She side-eyed him smugly.

He was about open his mouth to reply, but then he noticed the stall over Tanitha’s shoulder. “Hey, look at that. You mentioned something about knives the other day.”

On the wide, outstandingly clean table was a symmetrical fan spread of knives, blades, spearheads and other sharp weapons, such as throwing stars and hatchets. Tanitha’s interest was immediately piqued, she had indeed expressed interest in purchasing a switchblade or hunting knife, for self defence and utility purposes. In her bag, Locke poked his head out to look around and inspect the weapons for himself. If he was going to share his travelling spot with a dangerous object, he shall make his input heard.

_“Pokey!”_

Tanitha glanced down at her rabbit. “Calm down, Locke. I’ll carry it in a sheath so you won’t cut yourself.” She scratched his ears while she turned her attention back to the blades. There was a rather large variety in both blade length, sharpness, grip material and especially in price.

The vendor, a gangly, greasy teenager, stood up when he noticed his potential customers. “Whatchu got your eye on, miss?”

Tanitha hummed. “I’m looking for a multipurpose knife. Small, sharp, preferably a wooden handle? Something I can carry in a thigh-sheath without looking threatening.”

After hearing ‘thigh-sheath’, Julian suddenly gained an intense interest in the other, abandoned and empty stall next to them.

The boy clicked his tongue, and pulled out a small wooden case from below the table. “I think I got whatchu need.” He proceeded to lay out a line of knives, from biggest to smallest. Tanitha tried to choose, but on closer inspection, every option only had her shaking her head with disdain. Her eyes stopped on a hunting knife with a busted handle, on the workbench behind the boy. She pointed at it. “What about that one?”

The vendor looked back at it, barked a bitter laugh and shrugged. “It’s beyond repair. Rust ate away at one of the bolts on the handle, and then the blade got fucked too.”

“Can I see it?”

Puzzled, the vendor handed her the knife. “Honestly, there’s nothing to be salvaged from it. I’d give it to ya for free, but I’d feel bad about selling useless junk even for that much.” He crossed his arms, watching as the obvious tourist examined the busted weapon.

Time had clearly been unkind to the tool. The point dulled, the edge softened, and the jagged part on its bottom smoothed out completely. The handle’s once strong, deep brown wood now splintered and cracked in a gross, faded green.

A wave of warmth erupted, and pale snakes of light shined up between Tanitha’s fingers. They slid into the imperfections of the knife and its handle, causing an odd, cricketing noise inside it. As she concentrated, she felt a disturbance coming from the table, but it was benign so she ignored it for the moment. When she was done with her magic, the knife rested in her open palm, sporting a matte, wooden handle with strengthened bolts, and a mesmerizingly clean, sharp blade. The boy went slack jawed.

“What in the fu- LADY! How didya do that?!”

Tanitha smirked. “I have a knack for fixing things. I’ll take this one, then. It’s perfect for what I need.” She moved to pocket the knife, but then the boy jolted.

“Whoa there, where d’ya think you’re putting that? You’ll need to buy it first!”

She cocked an unamused eyebrow. “So you won’t sell me junk for free after all?”

“A knife of that condition is worth a small fortune, ‘course I won’t! What are you, dense?”

Julian snapped his head back to the boy with an angered puff, and towered above him. “What was that?!” But then he felt a hand grasp his collar.

“Chill, sweetheart. I can deal with him. You promised you’d let me try and barter on my own.”

Julian’s eyes softened when he looked at Tanitha, then with a final glare at the teenager, he stepped back. Tanitha cleared her throat.

“Here’s a deal. You let me take this knife for free, and I’ll fix up every busted up knife you have in your stall. How’s that sound?”

The boy slammed a hand on his forehead as he laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous, lady! You can’t just get things for free with those shiny hand tricks of yours. C’mon, dive into your little purse there.” He cocked his head curiously when he spotted Locke’s ears sticking out and a pair of eyes staring at him maliciously from the bag.

Tanitha sighed and leaned on the table. “Alright then. I’ll do you one better.” She snapped her fingers as loud as she could, and with a flash of sparkling light, about three fourth of all the weapons on the table turned into rusted, broken, misused remnants of what were once perfect quality tools. The boy choked on his breath, and Julian stared in total awe.

“I won’t call the city guards on you for selling stolen and illusion-spelled weapons if you let me have the one I fixed up for free. Like you originally promised.”

Not a minute later, Tanitha walked away holding Julian’s hand, just barely aware of the hunting knife strapped to her thigh beneath her skirt. She smiled cheerfully with a slight skip in her step, and Julian burst out laughing.

“Ohohohhhh, stars, that was BRILLIANT! The look on his face! Oh, I wish I could have captured it somehow.” He wiped a tear from his uncovered eye. “How did you know they were enchanted to look new?”

“I felt it when I repaired the hunting knife. I do feel a little bad though, it didn’t seem to be his own doing. I just bullied a crooked vendor’s apprentice into giving me free stuff.” Tanitha’s shoulders slumped slightly.

Her partner swung an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “Aw, don’t feel bad, darling. He was being an ass about it in the end. He had a lesson long coming.”

They ventured on into a poorly lit but open aired corridor to get out of the thick, smoky air and continued browsing the stalls. Julian secretly hoped they would run into another fraudulent seller, just so he could watch Tanitha put them in their place again. It took them nearly a full hour to reach the end of the corridor, and along the way they obtained a few more gifts for each other- dice carved out of obsidian, jars of special paint for Tanitha’s unfinished tarot deck, a new shirt for Julian, some chocolate coated fruits, and a box of matches which always lit up in different colored flames- which now weighed their bags quite a lot. Locke was nipping at Tanitha’s elbow discontentedly, to which she simply yanked him out of the bag and carried him in her arms for the remainder of the journey.

“Is he being whiny?”

The magician was cooing at the rabbit in her arms, scratching his chin with a finger. “No, no. He just wants attention. Little disaster artist.”

Julian fake gasped, but it almost came out sounding genuinely hurt. “I thought I was your little disaster artist!”

“You’re a walking disaster alright, just not a little one. But that’s how I love you.” She turned to him and pecked his lips as reassurance. Right after, her attention was grabbed by the noise of cheering and booing mixing together.

They both turned around to see a staircase leading downwards into a lit hideout with half walls and no door. A bar counter stretched across in the back, shelves behind it stacked with brands of alcohol even Julian couldn’t recognize. Spread around on the splintering wooden floor were roundtables, some used to hold drinks, others for card games, still others for passed out drunks to sleep on. There was a larger crowd around one table in particular right in the center, where a fat man in a baggy hat dealt out cards and dice for two other players. The unmistakeable smell of sweat and craft beer was both dizzying and inviting.

With nothing but an agreeing nod, Julian and Tanitha let themselves in and took a seat by the counter, where a friendly bartender greeted them. She was a tall woman with untameable curls of hair and a small scar on her upper lip.

“New faces! Welcome to the Skinned Diver. What’s your poison?”

“A tankard of salty bitter for me, and...” Julian trailed off, waiting for Tanitha who was perusing the menu, still holding Locke to her chest.

“A mug of peanut mead for me, thank you.”

“Coming right up!” The bartender slammed the glasses on the counter and started cleaning them out with a tonic-soaked rag. “You’re not locals, are you? Where did you come from? Cute bunny, by the way!”

Julian rested one elbow on the counter, deciding to keep his other hand around his coin pouch. “We sailed up from Drakr just now, but our home is in Vesuvia.”

There was an odd warmth in his smile as he said ‘home’, and Tanitha noticed that. She was glad to hear him talk that way after everything they had been through. Even after weeks had passed after the Devilish adventure, Julian refrained from calling the magic shop his own home. Part of that could be chalked up to the mild weirdness in occupying the space that Asra used to reside in, but they both knew the real reason for his reluctance, that being his insecurities making him doubt the stability of his future.

Julian was at ease chatting with the bartender, who they found out was called Kreeka, so Tanitha used the free time to inspect the bar in more detail.

The air was thick with the smoke of Prakran tobacco and incense, and the mood was relatively light. Patrons were playing and chatting like they were in a cozy coffeehouse and not a tavern big enough for a parade to march through. The only downer in the whole place was the ring of gamblers in the middle, who broke the friendly, cheeky atmosphere with their intoxicated aggressiveness and loud cuss words. The card dealer in the baggy hat was a particularly interesting figure, leaning back slightly in his chair before each turn. Their game consisted of playing cards, dice and a rapidly flowing hourglass.

Tanitha was snapped out of her trance when she felt a mug being pushed into her hand. Kreeka addressed her. “Got your eye on something, honey?”

“I was just wondering what they were playing there.” She cocked her head at the crowd before sipping her mead and humming in pleasure. “Oh, this is delicious.”

“Careful with it, the hangover it gives you is brutal.” Kreeka beamed proudly, showing off teeth that had no business being as white as they were. “Don’t mind those guys, the game is rigged. Loaded dice and cards in shirt sleeves, the whole shebang.”

“Well, what would an un-rigged game be like?” The couple was now very interested, and Locke used their distraction to sniff into the peanut mead.

Kreeka hummed. “If I remember right, it’s a counting game. There’s 2 or 3 players against each other, one of which is The Hatter, who doubles as the dealer. Don’t ask why it’s Hatter, I don’t know.”

A glance at the baggy hatted man gave Tanitha a few guesses.

“You have until the sandglass runs out to put down cards from your deck, then you add up their value, and roll with two dice. Highest number total wins.”

“Well, that sounds easy enough.” Julian commented and turned to Tanitha with a mischievous smirk. “What do you say we rig their own game against them?”

He was met with a similar expression. “Whatever do you have in mind, dear?”

“Do you have your dice at hand?”

Julian whispered his plan into Tanitha’s ears, who smiled wider after each tricky detail. Grinning, Kreeka turned away and went back to cleaning glasses, ensuring her deniability. Tanitha murmured a spell at the obsidian cubes in her fists, and waited for an opening to enter. While they waited, she pointed out recurring actions on The Hatter’s part: not just leaning back in his chair with his arms behind him, but also head scratches that went deep into his trademark hat, or the periodic tugs on his shirt’s neck. Their opening soon arrived with the two players bolting from the table at the same time, shouting obscenities in rage. With a soft sigh, Tanitha downed the rest of her mead in one go and strode over to the gambling circle, Locke following at her heels. She smiled cheerfully at the men, most of whom towered above her.

“Hello there! May I join your game?” With slightly flushed cheeks and a little wave, she sold the stupid tourist’s image perfectly.

The Hatter smiled at her with an almost childish adoration. His voice came out raspy, but booming and with a strong lisp. “Oh, looking to lose yer money, miss? Ya came to the right man.”

“Well, maybe. I’ve never gambled before, but it looks so fun! Maybe beginner’s luck will help me.”

As he laughed, another spectator piped up angrily. “But it was my turn! Get back in lin- GET FUCKED MIKO!” He cut off as his comrade elbowed him in the stomach, as if to warn him not to be rude to the adorable lady. They and two other onlookers broke off from the crowd to brawl it out between themselves between the tables, tripping up on the sleeping drunkard in the corner and startling her awake.

The Hatter motioned at the chair across him. “Please, take a seat! It’d be a delight to teach ye.”

Tanitha clapped her hands together. “Great! So, how do we play?”

Julian watched from the distance as the leader described the rules to Tanitha, and ordered another drink for himself. He could feel a pang of jealousy bubble in his chest at the sight of her being fawned over by the gamblers, but quickly suffocated it by emptying his tankard and reminding himself of their own little game. Besides, if anyone was ever competition to him, it was not those stinky bastards. He signalled to Locke with his hand to prepare. The rabbit proceeded to hop between the crowd’s legs and situate himself underneath the Hatter’s chair, ready to strike.

“Won’t yer boyfriend there mind that you’s playing with me?” Hatter was talking to Tanitha, but he was eyeing Julian closely. He, however, behaved like a saint, sitting with his back straight, salty bitter in hand.

“Oh, not at all. He’s just too much of a goody two shoes to join in on the fun.” Tanitha sent a knowing smirk towards Julian, to which he returned a genuinely offended look. Him? A goody two shoes? The nerve!

It came in handy, as his reaction convinced Hatter. He wriggled his eyebrows at the doctor and returned to the table. “Alrighty then! Let’s get started.”

The first round came and went, with Tanitha emerging victorious. Strangely enough, it was an honest win. The Hatter didn’t do any of his shady routines, and the magician hadn’t deployed her own tricks either. Perhaps it was just for the practice round. For simplicity’s sake, no gold had traded owners yet.

“Look at ye, such a quick learner! Might rob me of all me money at this rate.” Hatter hooted, drowning out the few polite cheers Tanitha was getting.

The second round went by in a similar manner, with The Hatter winning that time. He grinned toothily at her, like a teacher at a hard working pupil in his gambling seminar. The third round seemed like it would be the real deal, as the first bets of gold sat on the table, but once again, no routine. Perhaps the low betting amount wasn’t worth cheating over, especially against a rookie.

“See, you’s getting it! Keep up the pace ma’am, rapid hands make rapid cash ‘ere!”

A second mug of peanut mead brought out Tanitha’s courage and she raised. With a cocked eyebrow and sly smirk, the Hatter matched his coin stack against hers. That did the trick- he leaned back in his chair, letting his odd hat sway a little, as he shook the dice in his palms. Julian spotted a different, but similar set of dice tumbling into his hands from his shirt sleeve, and that was their cue.

From beneath the chair, Locke jumped up and mauled into the Hatter’s hands, causing him to drop all the dice with a howling scream. He let go once he was satisfied with the amount of skin chunks he had bitten off, and moved to gobble up the small wooden cubes. The Hatter, ignoring his bleeding hand, dived onto the floor for Locke, who ran back into Tanitha’s bag for cover.

“YOUR RABBIT JUST ATE MY DICE!” He roared, sitting up and clutching his hand.

Only half-feigning panic, Tanitha stammered. “Oh- oh, dear, oh no! I’m so terribly sorry!” She took Locke into her lap and started rubbing his stomach. Locke pretended to gag, but he spat out nothing to the ‘coaxing’.

“Come on, boy, retch it back up, please...” She glanced briefly at the crowd eyeing her, hoping she was convincing enough. The drinks were beginning to get to her and it was clouding her perception, which was a bad sign. She knew she was a lightweight, but this buzz was excessive even for her after only two mugs. What in the world were they putting into the mead here? “Sir, please forgive me! I forgot he was such a... a... gobbler! I promise I’ll replace your dice!”

Julian, who was beginning to feel too hazy for comfort as well, chortled quietly into his tankard at the spectacle. The other patrons were also paying attention now.

“Dammit!! What are we gonna play wif’ now, huh?!”

Tanitha hastily opened her bag and put out her obsidian dice set on the table. “How about these? I bought them earlier today for myself, but you can keep them after the game. Take it as an apology...? I’m so, so very sorry about your dice. Handmade trinkets always hurt to lose.”

At the sight of the obsidian pieces, the mood settled fast. Those things were pricey, and by nature of the material, impossible to load, so there was no way the little lady had set this up. Hatter exhaled sadly, deciding to let it go and waved at his bulky, hatchet wielding comrade to stand down. There was no need to cut the rabbit open.

“Alright.... Methinks a break is due. I need ta take care of this...” His tone was eerily calm as he wiped the blood off of his knuckles, inspecting the rabbit bite. “Your little shit better not be rabid.”

“He isn’t, I promise!”

Taking advantage of all the noise, Julian slipped away from the bar to snag a familiar instrument from the currently unoccupied stage, and started tuning up. He could see potential problems arising, and if things go awry, they would need a quick escape route. Between The Hatter washing and bandaging his hand, and Tanitha crying out further apologies and excuses, Julian tuned the vielle to his liking and started to play. The song was rather upbeat, overpowering the crowd’s noise just enough to gain their attention, and from there, the show was on. He would provide action-filled music while searching for a fast exit, giving Tanitha time to keep swindling.

The only way out was the way through the half wall side, on the stone stairs leading back into the maze that was the market. He was unable to get a good look from where he stood and now it was way too late to try, not without arousing suspicion. Whatever happens, it must happen with improvisation. Julian cursed internally. Improvisation was something he was only good at with a sober mind. Had he miscalculated his tolerance?

His song’s pace picked up as Hatter returned to the table with a new mug of drinks, one clearly intended for Tanitha. So that was his game? Get her drunk and cause her to make mistakes if he couldn’t cheat his way into victory? What a spineless coward, they both thought. The fifth round’s bets found their new owner in Tanitha’s gold pile. By the end of the sixth, the beer glasses were all empty, and Tanitha was visibly gaining confidence, slowly melting away her innocent rookie façade. By the seventh round, she was standing on the chair like a renowned hero as she slapped down the cards and rolled the dice.

The Hatter’s eyes were furious. How could he not outmatch the card piling pace with his own cards tucked away in his shirt? His dice rolls were low, sure, maybe he was just on a bad streak with them, but the cards... “Show me your sleeves!”

Julian hopped off the stage with a suspenseful tune on his vielle and walked over to see the events first hand. With a comical flourish, Tanitha unbuttoned her sleeves and stretched out both arms, even shaking her bracelet off her wrist. She smiled confidently.

“Feel free to search me. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Julian leaned over Tanitha’s shoulder to look at Hatter with his signature grin. “Projecting much?

Hatter growled and got up from his seat, then waved to his axe wielding right hand man. “Pat her down! I ain’t trusting yer sparkly little eyes no more.”

The only result they got from the search was a round of compliments on Tanitha’s brand new knife, and some comments on the color scheme of her wardrobe. No hidden cards, no secrets, no switched up dice, not even a tattoo for good luck. The stupid tourist was clean.

Begrudgingly, Hatter sat back down, and the game resumed. Minutes turned into hours, all spent with chasing an increasingly larger pile of gold, back and forth between beer glasses and card stacks. On certain rounds, Tanitha dampened the effect on her dice to give her opponent a slight chance, or at least a margin of the turns’ bets to lessen suspicion, but she was winning nevertheless, much to the excitement of the bar’s other patrons. Everyone wanted to see The Hatter fall, and for the person who toppled him to be an odd little foreigner, it was a delight to watch.

The only sign of time’s passage was the noticeable increase in Tanitha’s and Julian’s inebriation, and Kreeka making hourly rounds of table scrubbing around the bar due to the sheer amount of drinks getting sloshed around. Tanitha, almost tipping over her chair with laughter at her win, clapped her hands to the vielle song’s beat and got up to join her partner in a victory dance. The Hatter had steam coming out of his ears, his empty gold pouch wailing painfully at the losses. The couple spun around on legs that already barely kept them upright and giggled, fully aware of how foolish they looked, and choosing not to care.

“That’s a thousand gold for you!” Julian bumped her with his hip, almost making her lose balance.

“That’s a thousand gold for me!” She cheered, returning the gesture strongly enough to cause him to drop the instrument.

“THAT’S A THOUSAND GOLD FOR WE!” They clapped in unison. Still laughing, Tanitha opened her coin pouch and started putting away her earnings.

“Alright, that’s- that’s it for me tonight, gentlemen! Pleasure doing- playing with you!”

The Hatter, however, slammed his hammer-like fist down on the gold pile, eyes red, nose flaring and breath reeking. He nearly spat as he choked out. “...One more round. All or nothing.”

Through hazy eyes, Tanitha shared a smug look with Julian. She chuckled, then wiped her nose. “Oh come to your senses, what’re you gonna bet with? Your underpants?” She crossed her arms and considered her own words for a second before scrunching up her nose. “...Eugh, stars, I hope not. Please don’t.”

Hatter’s snarl broke into a maniacal grin. He reached into his vest’s inner pocket, drew out a rolled up piece of parchment paper, and threw it on the table.

“This is me lucky token. No one ever made me bet it befo’e I’ll tell ya that much.” He faltered a little upon seeing Tanitha’s unimpressed stare. “Tis’, lady, is a map to the undiscovered west! The dream of every foot-havin’ explorer out there!”

“A map.” Tanitha deadpanned.

“A map!” Julian exclaimed.

Setting down the vielle, he seized the scroll immediately and unrolled it to take a good look at the drawings. A road with many branches and sharp turns spread out on the parchment, interrupted by the occasional intricately drawn landmark. The bottom of the page was signed by the map’s original creator, dating back over two hundred years. The final landmark, the map’s destination, was a city with an indecipherable name. Julian yanked Tanitha closer by the elbows against her startled protests. “Excuse us for a moment-!” They took a few steps back, lowering their voices to whispers.

“Darling, look at this!” He beamed.

“I’m looking, but it’s just a dusty, outdated map of the west.”

“Aw c’mon, you don’t know if it’s outdated!”

Tanitha’s eye twitched with premonition. “...Oh my god, you want to go and explore this. Ilya-”

“This could be our fate! A life of adventure into the unknown!” The prospect clearly excited him to the point where he was bouncing in one spot.

“I’ve been playing with jinxed dice and cards for the past... hell knows how long, and NOW you wanna talk to me about fate?!”

“Just imagine-“

“We’re not imagining anything! How do you know this parchment is even real? If I check it with magic, it will crumble to dust.” She made her point with her dust covered palms which held on to the map.

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Julian,” Oh, Tanitha was being serious now. She overpowered her drunken haze for a moment with a headshake. Julian almost chuckled at how cute she looked with that serious scowl on her flushed face. “The west was wiped clean by... thingamajigs... storms and disasters in the past hundred years. Why would we play for a map that only leads to a wasteland?”

Julian sighed, then flipped up his eyepatch and gave Tanitha a full face puppy eye look.

Tanitha stared. “Oh come on, not with the face!” She averted her gaze quickly.

Julian whined, recalling how Brundle used to beg for bacon.

“Noooo, don’t do this to me!”

“Can we at least keep the map as a keepsake? Pleeeeaaase? Pretty please?” The tip of his nose brushed against Tanitha’s. “Pretty please with a cherry on top? Your dice will win it anyway!”

She planted her palm on his face to block out the puppy eyes and pushed him away. “Alright, fine, I’ll play the round. But I get to hog the nice blanket tonight.” She raised a warning finger.

With a satisfied grin, Julian kissed her, then reclaimed his instrument and started playing his most intense tune yet, heightening the excitement levels of spectators and players alike.

They threw the parchment onto the gold pile’s top to add it to the pot, and once the hourglass spun around, Tanitha began slapping down cards from her shuffled deck. The numbers she was putting down added up rapidly, and so did The Hatter’s. Once all the sand trickled down, it was time for the dice roll, and that’s when Tanitha felt time slow down around her.

The room around her greyed, all the cheering patrons froze mid-movement. The only person who did not lose their color was herself, and Hatter in front of her.

He was smiling.

Someone had cast a Trickster-Check spell. And that someone, was _him._

_Hatter was an enchanter._

She could not react in time, however, and she only realized what was truly happening when the dice she had thrown down shined with her aura’s rainbow colors in the dull greyness.

At once, her dice roll yielded twelve, and Hatter flipped the table over, sending coins flying in all directions. He pointed at Tanitha.

“I KNEW IT! YOU HEXED YER DICE!”

Julian’s vielle tune came to a screeching stop in shock, and Locke emerged from the bag on high alert.

Scooting back in her chair, Tanitha pulled up her legs against her chest as she looked up the crowd, wide eyed. The dark shapes of people towering above her cornered her, and she was too stunned to look for an escape route.

“...Jinxed, technically. Hexes need-”

“I’LL DECORATE THE FLOOR WITH YOUR BRAINSTUFF, YOU HEINOUS WITCH!” The Hatter lunged at her with murderous intent, but a gloved hand yanked her out of the way and pushed her towards the exit’s staircase.

“RUN!” Julian yelled from behind her, sprinting to catch up after snatching their bags from the floor.

Run they did, and so did the mob of gamblers right after them, wielding weapons.

Not knowing, or even really seeing which direction to run into, the couple took a sharp turn to the left and started booking it to the other end of the market’s corridor, not even watching whose toes they step on or who they shove aside. The market was a nightmare to navigate even at the best of times, and getting chased by an angered mob of gamblers while you were stumbling drunk certainly did not count as the best of times.

Neither of them had any clue where they were or where to run to, so all they could do was listen for the furious screams and run in the opposite direction. After rounds of pushing shoppers into carts, jukes around corners, and a miserable attempt at blending into the crowd, they reached another open aired branch of the market where the smoke had cleared, but they were also more visible thanks to all the light. Locke sprang past Tanitha and started hopping around with exaggerated distress, hoping to gain their attention. Once he did, he hopped up on a half-built stall and showed them an escape route- upwards, to the mismatched rooftops.

Julian shouted an apology in advance as he had to step onto a sleeping vendor’s stomach to get the leverage he needed to reach the balcony of the house. Once up, he helped Tanitha do the same, and they continued making their getaway, now under the clear night sky.

Soon after, Tanitha’s foot had slipped on a loose tile and with a startled scream, she slipped down into the neighbouring alleyway. She landed on top of someone’s dinner table, but quickly got back up running, only throwing back a hasty “Sorry!” when she was already out of sight. Julian was so busy looking down and making sure she was okay that he didn’t realize he was about to run into a dead end, but with the hatchet wielding gambler so close behind him, he made the decision to un-dead that end. He turned to the right, where he saw a dangerously narrow opening between a group of roof ornaments. He gulped.

“Ohhhh, Hanged Man HELP ME!” He cried as he vaulted over the ornaments, swinging his legs one after the other to keep his crotch area safe from the protruding parts. He proceeded to fall a few feet before catching a clothesline and zooming down into the alleyway, catching up with Tanitha.

They were close to losing the mob, so for good measure, they ducked into a corner and scaled some crates to get on top of the buildings again, where a stone chimney provided them cover. They jumped some ledges, evaded a few bumps, and eventually found themselves on the City Hall’s rooftop where they first saw the flying chair. Just as they thought to slow down, they realized that the city guards had joined the chase, and were scaling the stairs inside to catch them.

They skidded to a screeching halt right at the edge of the roof, narrowly avoiding a fifty feet fall. There were no other buildings to jump onto, no sign of a ladder, and the nearest lamppost they could slide down on was far out of their jump range.

Julian pointed downwards, “I bet we can make that!” at the two water-filled barrels right below them. Tanitha gave him an incredulous look, but then they heard their pursuers fast approaching. It’s not like they had other options.

“Fifteen dubloons says we can’t!”

“You’re on!” Julian was already jumping, leaving his partner to follow.

The fall was terrifyingly long and Tanitha was certain she had over-jumped as she saw the ground speeding towards her, but was proven wrong when she was submerged with a huge splash. The force of their fall, however, knocked over both barrels and sent them rolling down the docks, right into the crowd of the anchoring ships’ passengers. They came to a loud, crashing stop when they hit a cart of oysters, knocking it over. Passer-by gathered around to see the source of the commotion, worried whispers and frustrated mutters drowning out each other.

It took Julian a while to shake off the vertigo in all that noise, but he powered through and stumbled out of the barrel and onto his feet. The world was still a blur around him, so he attempted to navigate with his arms stretched out.

“Tani-GAH!” He tripped over something waist-height to him and crashed on the cobblestone, but his fall was broken by something and he landed on what felt like sacks of potatoes. Judging from the sound of a sickly groan coming from beneath him, however, that something had been, in fact, a puking Tanitha.

The couple laid in a sprawled out heap at the center of the gathered crowd, not quite processing the position they were in. Tanitha still hadn’t realized she couldn’t move due the weight pressing her to the ground, and Julian was too occupied with his throbbing head to use his brain. The next thing they felt were strong, armored arms dragging them to their feet and beginning to haul them off in a direction they couldn’t discern.

By the time their minds managed to somewhat clear, they were no longer surrounded by people, or even anywhere near the docks. Instead, they found themselves in a tall, humid, stone and granite structured building. The interior was rather cold compared to outside, and no decorations adorned the walls, aside from the torches and oil lamps that provided light. They passed a few armored guards as they were lead into the basement, down a set of worn, slippery stairs. Realization came crashing when they saw iron bars and cages spread across in a maze similar to the market.

“Hey, hold on! Why are we here?” Tanitha snapped.

“You can’t place us under arrest, you didn’t even read us our rights!” Julian wriggled his hands, only to discover his wrists were cuffed. Not that he wasn’t used to being apprehended, but he still couldn’t stand being shackled.

“You have the right to shut your damn mouth, how’s that sound for a reading?” The bailiff spat.

“Well, it’s a good start- Hey!” He yelped when he was pushed unceremoniously into the cell, falling on his bum. Tanitha followed soon after, landing right next to him.

The cell’s grated door locked behind them, and with a spin of her keychain, the bailiff left.

“Whoa! Wait just a moment! You’re not leaving us shackled like _this_ right!? Why not chain us to a wall like in a proper jail?!”

Nothing but an innocent whistle acknowledged Julian’s question. Silence and chilly air surrounded the jailbirds like fog. Their legs and chests burned from overexertion, just to add to the discomfort of sweat beads making their clothes clammy and sticky. The chase from earlier was still not quite out of their systems, but gradually the rushing adrenaline and alcohol was replaced by exhaustion, drowsiness, and for one of them more so than for the other, a murderous headache.

Sighing in frustration, Julian gathered himself and his nauseous love, and sat themselves down on the bench in the cell’s corner. Normally he would have preferred to have other prisoners to strike up a -usually- one sided conversation with, but this time, he relished the peace. He was already sobering up, but to his concern, Tanitha was clearly looking forward to the legendary hangover Kreeka warned her about. She leaned onto his shoulder to calm her dizzy head, and Julian rested his chin on her.

“Are you okay?”

She hummed a positive response.

“Not in the mood to start thinking about an escape plan, are you?”

Tanitha hummed negatively this time, with a barely noticeable headshake. She snuggled closer, seeking warmth.

Julian chuckled and kissed the top of her hair, slumping against her. Obviously, they weren’t going to get out anytime soon, so they might as well use the time to sleep off the night’s adventures. He glanced around to see if there were any windows so he could guess the time, but then he remembered they were in a basement. With a final exhale, Julian made himself comfortable, listened for the sound of Tanitha beginning to snore, and then drifted off to sleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! See you in the next chapter, in which we'll watch Mazelinka fight the migraine that these idiots caused her in the span of a few hours. I hope I won't discover more typos after I already posted this........

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if my work is not properly tagged, I'm very new to AO3. Thanks for reading! See you next chapter, hopefully!


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